Origin

Between 1811 and 1820 George, Prince of Wales was regent (Late Middle English) for his father King George III, who was suffering from a long-term mental illness. The prince was known for his fun-loving lifestyle and support for the arts, and the period of the Regency was noted for its distinctive fashions and architecture—such as, for example, the wildly exotic Brighton Pavilion designed by John Nash. The balls and parties held by the aristocracy of the time are imagined in the romantic historical novels set in this period and called Regency romances. The source of regency is Latin regere ‘to govern, rule’, which means it is related to words like regal (Late Middle English) ‘like a ruler’; rector (Late Middle English) ‘governor’( see vicar); regime (Late Middle English) ‘rule or regulation’; regiment (Late Middle English) which originally had the same sense as regime; region (Middle English) an area governed; regular (Late Middle English) originally ‘governed by a rule’; royal; and rule.